


Embrace: Tremere - Chapter 5

by thebasement_archivist



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Angst, Crossover, Fiction, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-11-10
Updated: 2003-11-10
Packaged: 2018-11-20 07:28:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11331216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebasement_archivist/pseuds/thebasement_archivist
Summary: Skinner helps Doggett adjust to his new life as both men plan to rescue Mulder from the Tremere.





	Embrace: Tremere - Chapter 5

**Author's Note:**

> Note from alice ttlg, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Basement](http://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Basement), which moved to the AO3 to ensure the stories are always available and so that authors may have complete control of their own works. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in June 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [The Basement's collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/thebasement/profile).

Embrace: Tremere - Chapter 5

### Embrace: Tremere - Chapter 5

#### by Jo B

  


Title: The Embrace: Chapter 5 - Tremere 

Author: Jo B 

Keywords: M/D, M/O, D/Sk non-con slash 

Rating: NC-17 

Category: Crossover Vampire: the Masquerade, romance, angst 

Chapter Summary: Skinner helps Doggett adjust to his new life as both men plan to rescue Mulder from the Tremere. 

Spoilers: This story begins after SR819 in season 6. 

Disclaimer: The X-Files are the property Chris Carter, 1013 productions and Fox Broadcasting. Vampire: The Masquerade is the property of to White Wolf, Publishing. No money is being made from their use. 

Warning! This story contains romance and sex between two men. Turn back now, if the subject matter offends you. 

Archive: Okay to archive, just leave my name attached. 

Web site: http://slashingmulder.com/JoB/ 

Beta thanks to Joey. And thanks to Xscribe for the edit job she did on this chapter, I look forward to trying one of her suggestions for the next chapter. 

* * *

Chapter 5  
The Embrace: Tremere  
By Jo B 

Doggett's House  
Sunday, March 20, 1999  
4:00 a.m. 

Doggett had been there several hours gazing sadly into his lover's fish tank. Silently watching the brightly colored fish swim around the flying saucer at the bottom of the tank. He had been hoping that Jaz and Lager had lied to him. That he'd come home and find Fox waiting for him. That Fox would make it all right. That this all had been some hellish nightmare, and once he was back in his lover's arm he'd wake up. 

"Johnny," Jaz said. "We can't spend all night here. I need to feed." 

"Look, lady," Doggett snarled, "I'm not going anywhere with you two! So just fuck off! And get out of my house!" 

"You think you'll be able to survive on your own?" 

"I don't give a damn about me." Doggett's eyes narrowed. Bolting across the room, he seized Jaz by the throat. He lifted her off the floor and slammed her against the wall with enough force to send a picture crashing down. "I want to know where Fox is." 

"Jeez, John, chill," Soo said from his reclined position on the sofa watching a late night movie. 

Jaz pried Doggett's fingers off her throat. "You don't have to get huffy, Johnny. I have no idea where Prince Damien would have taken him. The Tremere are a deeply secretive clan. Even the Nosferatu know very little about them." 

Doggett let her go. "I'm going to the Rainer estate to look for him." 

"It will be sunrise in an hour," Soo warned. "You'll be burned to a crisp before you even get on the estate." 

Doggett had to admit that full comprehension of his transformation was far from sinking in. He shook his head and headed for the door. "I don't care. Nothing matters to me except Fox." 

* * *

Vienna  
Sunday, March 19, 1999  
8:00 p.m. 

Mulder sat cross-legged on an old stone bench in a pitch-black room that had a strong musty smell of decay. The room was inside an ancient monastery. When they arrived his clothes had been taken from him and he was given a robe and sandals to wear. The robe was silk and proved little warmth against the chilly room. 

Damien had told him that he was expected to meditate for the next two days without food, water, or companionship. Mulder planned to spend those two days searching for a way to escape. He only had a brief glimpse around the room before a stone door sealed him inside, throwing the room into darkness. 

Mulder was scared to death but not for himself. It frightened him to even contemplate what Lager might be doing to John, and he hated not being in a position where he could rescue his lover. Instead, he needed rescuing. Mulder shivered and hugged himself as he stared blindly into the inky blackness. 

The stillness was unsettling. He could hear his heart beating and the rustle of the fabric of the robe every time he moved. Mulder sighed. His memories were all that he had to fill the dark void. He closed his eyes against the blackness and focused on John's face. He loved the sharp angles, high cheekbones, firm jaw, piercing granite blue eyes, the lovely furrow of lines on John's brow when he was deep in thought, and the gentleness of his voice when they lay in bed together free from prejudices of the outside world. 

Mulder placed his hand over his heart surprised at how loud it sounded when his chest felt so empty. 

* * *

In another part of the monastery, seven old men with thick gray beards and flowing blood-red robes stood around a caldron gazing into ink black liquid that bubbled and hissed as vapors rose off its surface. 

Prince Damien stood by the wall watching them... waiting. 

"He has a strange aura this Fox of yours, Damien," one of the similarly appearing men said. 

"Something isn't right about him," another said. 

"He's not completely human," echoed a third. 

"He will make a perfect Tremere," Damien argued, sensing that his clan's elders were about to reject his choice. 

"Maybe it would be better to kill him than embrace him," a fourth said. 

Damien bristled. "NO! Fox Mulder is the next step in kine evolution! He'll be the next step in our evolution! With his blood in our veins, the Tremere will be superior to all other clans." 

"We're already superior, Damien. This kine of yours has a purity about his being that could destroy us," a sixth warned. 

The seventh and final elder slowly traced circles in the black liquid with his long fingernail. "I think he is worth embracing. If he turns out to be a threat then we shall destroy him. His soul is powerful, if we could harvest that power we'll be able to destroy the Sabbot once and for all." 

Prince Damien breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Master Te." 

"In two nights when the moon is blue bring him to us. We shall perform the ceremony that will to bind him to us for eternity," Master Te said. 

Damien bowed and left the room. 

* * *

Rainer Estate  
Sunday, March 20, 1999  
8:00 a.m. 

A blood-curling shriek escaped Doggett's sun-blistered lips as the fiery orb glared down on him, burning his flesh. Without thinking, he melded into the earth, sinking beneath its cool surface. He was just outside the gates of the Rainer estate. The cool soil eased the burning. After several minutes, he realized to his utter terror that he wasn't breathing and hadn't breathed since Lager had embraced him; it just hadn't been obvious until now. And his heart was silent, no longer pumping blood through his veins. This was the first he had time to reflect on what had been done to him. 

How could he ever hope to go back to a normal life with Fox when he was no longer human? He was a godless blood-sucking monster. "God, Fox, help me." Doggett cried as he closed his eyes to block out the darkness of being underground. As his body slowly healed, he settled down to wait for the sun to set. The blood used to heal his wounds caused a growing hunger to build in his belly. He desperately needed to feed. 

As he lay in misery and grief, his thoughts turned to his lover. To Doggett's surprise just the thought of Fox caused him to become hard with arousal. At least that part of his manhood hadn't been taken from him. 

* * *

Rainer Estate  
Sunday, March 20, 1999  
4:00 p.m. 

Krycek parked the Lexus at the side of the road and glanced back at his master. The sun was still high in the sky, but the windows kept its harmful rays from penetrating the interior of the car. He shifted on the soft leather seat. The deep ache coming from his ass felt like sweet bliss to him. He rejoiced in the direction his life had taken. Krycek enjoyed the force and power that Skinner used each time he claimed his body for sex and nourishment. To be owned by such a powerful being was far more than Krycek had ever hoped for. 

"He's here." Skinner's eyes scanned the landscape. "Beneath those trees. He's hungry... and angry." 

"How can you tell?" Krycek asked. 

"I can feel his emotions, he's not trying to conceal them." 

Krycek had overheard Skinner on the telephone earlier arguing with Marcus Lager. The Brujah elder had told Skinner where he might find Agent Doggett if his childe had survived the rising sun. 

Skinner shook his head. "That bastard just shoved him out of the nest without making sure he could fly first." 

"Can you?" 

"What?" 

Krycek shuddered as Skinner's eyes met his. "Fly?" 

A bark of laughter greeted his question. "No, Alex." 

The smile vanished and Krycek worried that his question had offended his master until Skinner started to talk. "Clan Gangrel can shape-shift into animals, even birds. They can fly." Krycek followed Skinner's eyes back to the ground under the trees. The A.D. continued, "John Doggett shouldn't have been able to meld with the earth. Brujah don't possess that discipline. Only Gangrels possess that skill it is part of what allows them to shape-shift... I wonder?" 

"So what does that mean? Is Agent Doggett able to fly?" Krycek asked in a husky sex-laden voice. Being alone in the car with Skinner was making him squirm with desire. He wanted to feel the older man's teeth on his throat. 

"Agent Doggett is going to need your blood when he rises." 

Krycek frowned as Skinner ran a finger along his throat. He didn't like sharing his blood with anyone other than his master. This John Doggett was Fox's lover and that, in and of itself, was cause for him to dislike this man. The man had succeeded where he had failed in winning Mulder's trust and a place in his bed. 

Skinner's eyes turned hard. "You never would have stood a chance with Mulder. He's the total opposite of what you are, assassin." 

As much as Krycek wanted to, he was unable to argue with Skinner. The vampire owned him body and soul. He had no free will when he was in Skinner's presence. "Yes, master," he said softly, while wondering what type of man this John Doggett was that he had so quickly earned Mulder's trust and love. 

* * *

Vienna  
Sunday, March 20, 1999  
8:00 p.m. 

Mulder had been alone in the dark musty room for over twenty-four hours. A tomb... that was what he decided the room smelled like. Death. He had moved off the bench only once to relieve his bladder in a corner of the room, then had to feel his way back along the stone wall to the hard stone bench. Having a place that was elevated above the dirt floor was like a small island of safety against the scurrying of rodents he heard, at times, in the chamber around him. 

A pale light appeared to his left, Mulder's eyes widened with surprise. "Scully?" 

"Mulder." Her voice was soft and full of love. She was a beautiful vision dressed in a translucent white gown. 

Mulder could see the dark shape of her nipples through the soft fabric. "You're dead?" 

"I know." 

Mulder reached out to touch her, but his hand passed through her body. "Scully?" Tears welled up in his eyes as he pulled his hand back. 

She smiled and sat on the bench beside him. "Don't weep for me, Mulder. I'm in a better place. My Dad and Melissa are with me. I'm happy and free." 

"Why are you here?" 

"You can't let them embrace you. It will doom your soul for all eternity." 

"How do you know this?" 

She leaned toward him and kissed his cheek. "Join me. Leave this life behind." 

"Scully, I'm in love... I can't desert him." 

"It's already to late for him." She stood and held out a pale ghostly hand toward him. "Join me." 

Mulder looked at her hand and knew that if he took it, his mortal life would end then and there. His quest for his sister would be over along with any hope of being reunited with John. "I can't," he said weakly. 

Her expression turned to sadness as she slowly faded. "I love you, Mulder." 

"I'll always love you, Scully," Mulder said as the room was thrown back into darkness. 

A sound woke Mulder; he sat up, and gazed into the darkness. He shivered. A dream was that just a dream? 

* * *

Rainer Estate  
Sunday, March 20, 1999  
8:30 p.m. 

Doggett rose out of the ground. His clothing was dirty and torn. Dead foliage clung to his hair and his skin was streaked with dirt. An uncontrollable hunger consumed his entire being; he sniffed the air, smelling the sweet scent of blood. His head turned in that direction and his eyes fell upon a dark-haired man with green eyes who was leaning up against an expensive Lexus. 

Fangs unsheathed from Doggett's lips but before he could leap upon the prey, he was grabbed from behind and a strong arm wrapped around his neck. 

Hard as he struggled, his captor's strength was too great to combat. Doggett hissed and thrashed until a soothing voice whispered in his ear. 

"Easy, Agent Doggett, you'll get the blood you need. I just don't want you to kill my ghoul in the process." 

"Skinner! Damn you! You're one of them... you set us up!" Doggett growled. 

"No. I never wanted them to harm you or Mulder. You have to believe that I tried to protect him, but I was powerless against the Prince." 

Skinner's voice had a calming affect on Doggett, he relaxed slightly. "Do you know where Fox is?" 

"Yes. Feed first then we can go back to my place and talk." 

Krycek stepped forward and offered Doggett his wrist. 

Skinner eased his hold slightly but didn't let go as Doggett grabbed Krycek's arm and bit into his wrist. The A.D. allowed the fledgling Brujah to take enough blood to sustain him, but not enough to cause Krycek any harm. "Enough. You'll get more when we reach my place." 

Krycek swayed on his feet. 

"Get in the back, Alex," Skinner ordered as he pulled Doggett over to the passenger side. "You'll ride upfront with me." 

Doggett sat on the soft leather and licked the blood from his lips as Skinner climbed behind the wheel. He glanced into the backseat at Krycek who was lying down in a stupor. 

"Why are you helping me, Skinner?" 

"For Mulder. He was frantic after Lager took you... I was going to help him rescue you but the Prince showed up and took him from me." 

"You know about us?" 

"Yes. I was aware you and Mulder were lovers before I assigned you to work with him." Skinner merged onto the expressway. "I care about Mulder. He helped to clear my name when they tried to frame me for the murder of a prostitute. He filed the numbers off my bureau issued handgun and lied to protect me after they used it to murder a police detective." 

Doggett's brows furrowed as he looked at Skinner. "You're in love with him." 

Skinner shrugged. "I always thought he was in love with Dana Scully. I never imagined--" 

"If you had?" Doggett fingers gripped the armrest. 

"I don't know... he's my subordinate...." Skinner didn't really know if he'd have had the courage to confront Mulder about his feeling for him. Expressing feelings to another man was something that he wasn't comfortable doing. He hadn't even been comfortable expressing them to his late wife. 

"You're going to help me get him back," Doggett said, more of an order than anything else. 

"You'll need to be trained first. We can't go against the Tremere unless you're able to defend yourself," Skinner exited the expressway. 

"Trained? What training would a blood-sucking vampire need?" Doggett snapped. 

Skinner pressed the remote to open the garage door to his building's underground parking. "You have certain powers that were passed onto you from Lager when he embraced you. Brujah clan disciplines. It appears that you may have picked up a Gangrel discipline." 

"Look, Skinner, I don't have time for this crap!" 

"You don't have time not to learn them! If you don't, you won't live long enough to save Mulder's life." Skinner felt obligated to see that Doggett survived for Mulder's sake. And he'd be damned if he allowed the fool to get himself killed. It was the least he could do after they were brought into his world because of their acquaintance with him. 

Skinner parked the car and climbed out. "Come along, Agent Doggett." 

Since Doggett didn't have a choice in the matter, as he needed Skinner's help to find Fox, he climbed out and followed Skinner to the elevator. As they waited, Krycek quietly arrived behind them. 

Doggett looked at him as they stepped on the elevator. "He's not a vampire is he?" he asked. 

Skinner watched the numbers as the elevator rose toward his seventeenth floor. "No. He's my ghoul. I use him to run errands for me in the daytime and he provides me with fresh blood when I need it." 

"Does he have a name?" 

"Alex Krycek," Skinner said as the elevator stopped on his floor and the doors slid open. 

"Krycek?" Doggett leveled Skinner with a steely glare. "The man who Fox blames for murdering his father? That Krycek?" 

"You don't have to worry about him. Alex is under my control now and he won't murder anyone else." Skinner realized that if he was going to train Doggett, he'd have to take control and show the fledgling Brujah just who was boss. He couldn't have the man questioning and fighting him at every turn. 

Once inside the apartment, Doggett glanced around. Suddenly he was grabbed from behind and slammed down onto the floor, then rolled roughly over on his back. Doggett looked up at Skinner who was straddling his hips. He hadn't even seen the man move. Before he could fight back, he found himself falling under the spell of Skinner's mesmerizing voice. 

A shiver of arousal ran down his spine to his penis. 

"Look at me, John," Skinner said, using his dominate powers to bend Doggett to his will. He felt the hardness beneath his ass as he sat on Doggett's groin. 

A horrified expression appeared on Doggett's face exponentially increasing, as he became further aroused from the stimulus on his developing erection. 

Skinner smiled down at him. "Don't be embarrassed, John. One thing you need to understand about Kindred is that we're sexual beings. We thrive on sex almost as much as we need blood to survive." He caressed the side of Doggett's dirt-streaked face. 

The agent glanced over Skinner's shoulder at Krycek who was glaring angrily at him. It didn't take much to recognize the green-eyed look of jealousy. "Sex... is it another thing you use Krycek for?" he asked in a shaky voice. 

"Now you're catching on," Skinner said as he swooped down to capture Doggett's lips in a deep domineering kiss. 

After several minutes, Doggett turned his head away and gasped breathlessly, "Stop." 

"I will if you stop fighting me." 

The raw ache of desire made it hard for Doggett to think straight. He focused all of his strength on remembering the last time he and Fox had kissed. "F-Fox... you promised you'd help me find him." 

"You need to be trained first." Skinner picked a dried leaf out of Doggett's hair enjoying the helpless look of his confusion. "And you could use a shower." 

Skinner stood and pulled Doggett to his feet. "The guest bathroom is upstairs at the end of the hall. Go take a shower. Alex will go to your house and bring back clean clothes for you to wear." 

Doggett hurried upstairs. He needed to get away from Skinner for his own sanity. He had come too close to cheating on Fox and that just wouldn't do. 

* * *

Doggett's House  
Sunday, March 20, 1999  
10:30 p.m. 

Krycek wandered around the house and paused in front of the fish tank in the living room. He recognized it from Mulder's apartment. He couldn't believe Mulder had been living with this man. Doggett didn't seem like Mulder's type; too straight-laced and uptight. 

On the end table was a bowl filled with sunflower seed shells. On the coffee table was a bicycle catalog. It lay open to a page on which one of the bikes had been circled with a red marker. He glanced over at the bicycle leaning up against the wall in the living room. So Agent Doggett was a cyclist. Krycek wondered if the bike circled in the catalog was for Mulder. The idea of Mulder taking up cycling irritated him for some reason. 

He entered the bedroom. The room was neat, bed made, no clothes on the floor. He wondered which side of the bed Mulder slept on as he dropped the canvas duffel bag on top of the comforter before going to snoop through the nightstand drawers. A near empty tube of lubricant was in one drawer, but he didn't find any condoms. 

"You're letting this man to fuck you without protection, Fox? Not very bright." 

On the dresser was a framed photograph of Samantha, sitting next to a photograph of a young boy almost the same age. A black and white photograph hung on the wall next to the dresser. In it was John Doggett dressed in an NYPD uniform standing beside three others of New York's finest. Krycek shook his head in disgust. Then he yanked open the dresser drawers. He found one drawer filled with boxers and boxer briefs. He selected several of the cotton boxers, assuming they were Doggett's since Mulder preferred silk. In another drawer Krycek found socks, and the bottom drawer had jeans and t-shirts. 

"Do you share clothes with this bastard?" Krycek growled as he noticed that the clothes were roughly the same size and he couldn't tell which jeans belonged to Doggett and which belonged to Mulder, so Krycek grabbed three random pairs. 

Krycek carried the clothes back to the bed and shoved them into a canvas duffel bag that he had sitting on top of the black and gold-striped comforter. Next he opened the closet door and rummaged through the suits and dress shirts. At least it was easy for him to tell what suits were Mulder's from the less expensive suits this Agent Doggett wore. He opened a plastic garment bag that he found in the back of the closet and glared at its contents -- a Marine's dress blues. For some reason that pissed Krycek off. What was this guy? 

Krycek slammed the closet doors shut. "I can't believe you've set up house with a fucking jarhead! What are you looking for? A quiet life in the suburbs with a man's man to come home to each night? Fox, you're so fucking pathetic. Don't you understand? Someone like you can never have a white-picket life!" 

Krycek grabbed the bag off the bed and hurried out of the house. He didn't want to keep Skinner waiting too long. 

* * *

Skinner's Apartment  
Sunday, March 20, 1999  
10:30 p.m. 

Skinner carried a robe into the bathroom and hung it on the hook behind the door. The room was steamy and he could see Doggett's naked silhouette behind the shower curtain. The man had been in the shower for nearly an hour -- the water should be turning cold by now. Skinner could relate to the need to scrub all traces of otherworldliness off his flesh in an attempt to feel human again. 

"Agent Doggett," Skinner called above the noise of the running water. "I've left a robe for you to wear until Krycek gets back with your clothes." 

The water went off and Doggett poked his head out from behind the shower curtain. "Would you mind fucking off?" 

Skinner stepped forward and yanked the shower curtain open with one hand while he shoved Doggett up against the tile wall with the other. "Get this through your thick skull, Agent Doggett, I'm in charge and until you're trained you'll do everything I tell you to do! Got that?" 

Doggett pried Skinner's fingers off his chest. "I got it! The only reason I'm still here is that I need your help to find Fox. Don't think I won't hesitate to kill you if you get in my way of saving his life." 

"We want the same thing, John. Your loyalty to Mulder is why I'm helping you." Skinner's eyes traveled down Doggett's body in open appreciation. He grabbed a towel off the rack and tossed it to Doggett. "Dry yourself off and put on the robe. We might as will start your training." 

"How long is this going to take?" Doggett asked while he rubbed the towel over his damp skin. 

"That's going depend on you." 

"You said you know where Fox is." Doggett took the navy blue robe from Skinner and pulled it on. 

"Vienna. And before you get it in your head to rush across the Atlantic to rescue him -- you can get forget it. You'll be too late, if you aren't already. Vienna is the Tremere stronghold. Neither of us could step one foot in the city before we'd be given the final death." 

Steely blue eyes glared at Skinner. "Then what fucking good is your training me?" 

"Because after he's embraced," Skinner explained as they headed downstairs. "Mulder will be returning with Prince Damien to the Rainer Estate. The Tremere aren't like the Brujah and Ventrue clans. They keep a tight leash on their childer. Prince Damien may allow Mulder to continue his work on the X-Files but he more than likely won't allow him to continue his relationship with you beyond your FBI partnership with him." 

Doggett weighed what Skinner was telling him. If he had to fight this Tremere Prince to get Fox back, then he needed Skinner's help. "Okay, we'll do things your way." 

They entered the kitchen. Doggett noticed two plasma bags sitting out on the counter and was surprised by how hungry they made him. 

Skinner smirked as he retrieved two mugs from the cabinet. "I like my blood at room temperature." 

"You keep a supply of blood here?" 

"My sire has several pints delivered each week that I store in the refrigerator. I'll ask him to send extra to cover your needs." 

Doggett brows furrowed in thought as he remembered coming close to ripping out Krycek's throat a couple of hours ago. He'd been that desperate. "Skinner, have you ever taken a human life for their blood?" 

"Yes--" He hesitated not wanting Doggett to know that the life had been Dana Scully. "It was the first time I fed as a vampire. My sire wanted to teach me a lesson, not to allow myself to get so hungry that I lose control." Skinner frowned as he emptied the bags into the mugs. "I'll never allow myself to get that hungry again." 

He handed one of the mugs to Doggett. "We're not monsters, Agent Doggett. At least not all Kindred are. Most of us lead normal lives. Hold down jobs and are productive members of society." 

A day ago a mug full of blood would have repulsed Doggett. Instead he drained it hungrily. He sighed as his remaining hunger was quenched. "But we're no longer human. I can't walk outside in broad daylight without being burned." 

"As a Brujah, you have less resistance to sunlight than I do as a Ventrue. If I'm well fed, I can go outside in broad daylight for brief periods of time." 

"But I can't. Would Fox be able to?" 

"No." 

"How will we do our jobs if we can't go outside in the daytime?" 

Skinner watched the play of emotions flash across the other man's face. Doggett seemed to have accepted that he'd get Mulder back. "You'll be safe anywhere inside the Hoover building during the daytime. The windows have protective glass. I'll see that the windows on your truck and Mulder's car are replaced." Skinner stepped closer to Doggett. "You'll just have to change your lifestyle so that you don't have to go outside in broad daylight. Arrange to interview witnesses inside. Park in ramps. Take late night flights." He couldn't resist as he leaned in and kissed Doggett. 

Doggett didn't fight him at first as he melted into the kiss, seeking solace in the other man's arms. Finally the agent's hands came up and pushed Skinner away. "Don't... I can't... I won't cheat on him." 

Skinner smiled sadly. "If I had him as my lover, I wouldn't cheat either." 

Krycek cleared his throat from the doorway. "I have his clothes." 

Doggett walked over and took the duffel bag from him. He set it on the counter, opened it, and rummage inside. He pulled out a pair of cotton boxers and slipped them on under the robe. Then he shed the robe and tossed it to Krycek. "Make yourself useful," he said as he sat on a stool to pull on a pair of socks. 

Krycek glared at him before leaving the room to hang the robe upstairs in Skinner's master bathroom. 

Skinner waited for Doggett to dress before leading the man out of the kitchen and into his study. "As a Brujah you have several clan disciplines: Celerity which allows you to move at incredible speeds; potence, which gives you supernatural strength and vigor. You should be physically stronger than I am once you learn to use this discipline. And presence, the ability to sway and control crowds. I think you might have picked up the Gangrel discipline of protean but I'll need to test you to be sure." He picked up a book and handed it to Doggett. "My sire gave this to me. It explains the thirteen clans, the laws and the traditions of the Camarilla. I want you to spend the rest of tonight studying it. Tomorrow, after I get home from work, we'll work on your disciplines." 

Doggett sat on a comfortable reading chair beside the fireplace and opened the book. He wasn't interested in the other clans, what he wanted to learn was everything about the Tremere that had his lover. 

* * *

Skinner's Apartment  
Monday, March 21, 1999  
5:30 p.m. 

Doggett had gone to bed at seven just after Skinner had left for work. He didn't sleep for long, getting up at noon and going into the kitchen to help himself to a pint of blood Skinner had in the refrigerator. 

Krycek had been in the kitchen quietly watching him. Doggett had ignored him and gone back into Skinner's study to continue reading the book on the clans. He was surprised that he had found the information interesting and informative -- not only the information on the Tremere that had his lover. That information was sketchy at best. These creatures had laws and a structured society. 

The doorbell rang and he heard commotion coming from the entryway. Doggett set the book down and left the study to investigate. 

"There you are, Johnny," Jaz said as she shoved Krycek out of her way. "Marcus would like to see you." 

"Well I don't wish to see him," Doggett said. 

"Don't be that way. He's your sire after all, and deserves your respect and adoration." 

Doggett let out a bitter laugh. "You're off your rocker, lady. You tell Lager for me that he can go to hell." 

"You can tell me yourself, childe," Lager said as he stepped through the doorway into the room. 

Doggett's eyes hardened. "Fine. Go to hell!" 

Lager had him by the throat in a heartbeat. Then the Brujah elder grinned and pulled a startled Doggett into a bear hug. "I'm proud of you, childe. Not only have you survived your first sunrise but you've found yourself a teacher. Just don't forget that you are Brujah. If you need anything, come to your clan." 

"Why are you here?" Doggett asked after Lager set him back on his feet. 

"Does a father need a reason to see his childe?" 

"I already have a father--" A look of horror crossed Doggett's features. He hadn't even thought about his family. How would they react to what had happened to him? 

"That was in your mortal life. I'm your father now." 

"You didn't answer my question. What do you want?" 

"I came to remind you where your loyalties lie. When Prince Damien returns with Agent Mulder, it is in Brujah interest that he and you continue your relationship." 

Doggett didn't trust Lager. When he got Fox back it might be in their best interest to disappear and start a new life together elsewhere. His love for Fox was the one thing in his new life that hadn't changed. 

"I'll let you get back to your training, childe. Come along, Jaz," Lager said as he strolled out of the apartment. 

Doggett closed the door after them and glanced over at Krycek who had retreated to the kitchen. 

Krycek straightened and glared at him. 

"You might as well have your say." Doggett didn't like or trust this man... he'd sooner trust a viper. 

"He doesn't need you messing up his life. Why don't you leave him alone?" 

"Who Skinner?" 

"No, Fox." 

A look of stunned disbelief flashed across Doggett's face at the utter audacity of the other man, before being replaced by anger. "You're a fine one to talk, Krycek. I've heard all about what you've done to him!" 

Krycek glowered at him. "He's only half human; did you know that? Mulder's life has been planned out for him even before he was born and it didn't include you." 

"You're full of crap!" 

"He's going to have tough choices to make in the future and you're only going to make it tougher for him if you don't get him killed." 

"Was him being turned into a vampire part of this plan?" 

Krycek mouth tightened into a thin line. "No." 

"Let me give you some advice, Krycek," Doggett said, as he walked over to stand nose to nose with the other man. "Stay away from Fox and keep your nose out of our lives. Do you got that?" 

"I got it." Krycek's voice was strained for fear of pissing off the fledgling Brujah further. He clenched his jaw to keep from saying what was on his mind. 

The front door opened and Skinner walked in. 

Krycek hurried over to his side and took his briefcase then help Skinner out of his overcoat, hanging it in the closet. 

Skinner smiled at Doggett. "John, let me lose the suit then we'll start working on your disciplines." 

* * *

Doggett looked across the empty field. It was an overcast night, but even so, with his Kindred eyesight he could see as well as if it were broad daylight. He could smell a slight hint of cherry blossoms in the air. He and Skinner had been working on his disciplines for the last five hours. Skinner had been right about one thing... the more Doggett focused on his potence discipline the stronger he became. He was now able to overpower Skinner. 

They circled each other looking for an opening. Since they both possessed the discipline that enabled them to move with supernatural quickness they proved to be evenly matched. 

When Doggett was distracted by a noise to his left, Skinner took the opportunity to attack. Skinner tackled Doggett to the ground and straddled his torso. 

Doggett kicked and twisted until Skinner was underneath him. Doggett gave Skinner a smug look as he gazed down into the other man's brown eyes, knowing that he was now stronger than his boss. As he gazed into Skinner's eyes he suddenly had the urge to kiss him. 

Doggett lowered his mouth over Skinner's and kissed him slowly, he soon found himself again lying on his back with Skinner returning the kiss passionately. The A.D. sat back and smirked at him. "Physical strength isn't everything, John." 

"How did you do that?" 

"Ventrues are able to control other vampires and kines minds and actions with our dominate discipline." 

"What about the Brujah clans presence discipline?" Doggett asked. "Isn't that similar?" 

"No. The Ventrue clan also possesses the presence discipline as one of our clans core disciplines, it allows us to sway and attract crowds, but does not allow us to control the actions and minds of an individual." 

"So if you wanted to, you can force me to have sex with you?" 

"I would never force you, John." Skinner stood and helped Doggett to his feet. "C'mon, we need to feed. One drawback of using our disciplines is that it requires additional blood to perform them." 

"Whoa. Are we going back to your apartment to dine on those plasma bags and Krycek?" Doggett was feeling hungry, but he still wasn't ready to feed on some stranger. 

"Not this time. Don't worry, I'm taking you someplace where we'll be able to feed and not attract attention," Skinner said. He was confident that between them, they'd be able to go to the Wild Orchid without running into trouble from the other vampires. "Just stay close to my side. This place is one of the most popular kindred hangouts in D.C." 

* * *

Wild Orchid  
Tuesday, March 22, 1999  
1:00 a.m. 

Soo turned around in his chair and watched as John Doggett and Walter Skinner stepped inside the club. He was sitting at a corner table, with three other tenth generation Brujah. 

"So that's Marcus' childe," Moran said. 

"He doesn't look so tough," Simons said. 

"What's he doing hanging out with a Ventrue?" Gomez asked as she brushed her silky brown hair out of her eyes. 

"Maybe we should explain things to him," Moran said. 

"Leave him be," Soo warned as he continued to watch as Skinner chatted with two female kine. The Ventrue used his dominate powers to lure them out the back door. 

"I think we should at least introduce ourselves to our new brother," Simons said as he stood to his full six foot six inch height. 

Soo sighed as he stood to follow the other three over to the back door. He wasn't looking for trouble and he hoped his companions would know better than to piss off a sixth generation Ventrue regardless of how young the Ventrue was. 

He wasn't really worried about Doggett yet. Even though the man was a seventh generation Brujah and in time would become much more powerful than any of them; it would take time. Even the Ventrue was still young, but Soo had heard that this Walter Skinner was already more powerful than Anthony. 

Skinner and Doggett looked from the females to Soo and the other three Brujah as the Brujah joined them in the alley. Skinner turned back and whispered to the females, telling them to forget that they had met them and go back inside with a skill and eloquence that Soo envied. Skinner was a Ventrue blue blood through and through. 

"What have we here?" Simons said as he, Moran, and Gomez fanned out around Skinner and Doggett. "A couple of fledglings alone without their sires to protect them." 

"We're not looking for trouble," Skinner said, but there was a gleam in his eyes as he measured the four of them up. 

Soo stepped back toward the door. "Neither am I." He glanced over at Doggett. "Hey, John, nice to see that you survived your first sunrise." 

Doggett shot him a glare before turning his attention back to the other three Brujah. 

Simons stalked closer to Skinner. "Well, I'm looking forward to dining on some sixth generation Ventrue blood!" He launched himself at Skinner. The two vampires went down in a tangle of limbs and fists as Moran and Gomez fell upon Doggett. 

A low growl erupted deep from within Doggett's throat seconds before he shape-shifted into a large gray wolf. He ripped at the Brujahs' throats drawing blood. Gomez shrieked and turned on her heels and fled the fight while Moran was violently shaken in Doggett's jaws. Doggett morphed back with his fangs still buried in the other vampire's neck and he fed hungrily. Feelings of elation and arousal spread throughout his body as he feasted on kindred blood. 

Soo watched in stunned amazement, realizing that his fellow Brujah had picked up the Gangrel protean discipline to shape-shift. He wasn't concerned about Moran who'd brought the current predicament upon himself. Nor was he concerned for Simons who now found himself on his knees helplessly pinned against Skinner's chest as the fledgling Ventrue fed upon him. 

Skinner licked his lips as he shoved Simons away. "Consider yourself lucky this time Brujah, next time I'll treat you to your final death." 

Doggett finished with Moran who collapsed in a stupor on the filthy asphalt. The agent felt incredibly horny after feeding and walked over to Skinner, placed his hands on either side of Skinner's face, leaned in and wantonly kissed him. 

Skinner opened his mouth to the kiss and returned it with a greater passion. They were soon humping until they moaned out their release into each other's mouth. 

"That was...." Doggett sighed. 

"Hot," Skinner finished. He looked over at Soo before looping an arm around Doggett's waist. "C'mon, John, let's go back to my place. I think we could do with a bit more privacy." 

"Walt, I can't...." Doggett said with a guilty frown. 

"He'll understand," Skinner said as they headed for his Lexus. "This isn't about love, John, it's about lust and desire. It won't diminish your love for Mulder." 

Soo watched them until they drove off together. Then he hurried inside to tell everyone about what had happened in the alleyway. Lager was going to be interested in learning that his childe had the ability to shape-shift. 

* * *

Vienna  
Tuesday, March 22, 1999  
11:00 p.m. 

After Mulder was bathed, he was led naked into the inner sanctum of the Tremere stronghold. He trembled and felt light-headed from the lack of food and water over the past few days. They made him stand in the center of a pentagram. Incense burned in iron pots around the chamber. Prince Damien stood on the outside of the pattern painted on the ancient stone and watched Mulder with obvious lust sparkling in his silver eyes. The seven bearded old men started to paint patterns on Mulder's flesh using feathers dipped in blood while chanting in some long forgotten language. 

Wizards. It was the first word that popped into Mulder's head when he saw them. 

Mulder found that he couldn't move a muscle as the feathers tickled his flesh, sending shivers down his spine. He wanted to wipe the blood off but he stood motionless as one old vampire started painting his face. 

They forced him to spread his legs further apart, and he felt his buttocks being parted then a feather traced down his crease and tickled his opening before moving on to tease his sacs and penis. 

A blush spread across Mulder's face as the stimulation from the feather on the tip of his penis caused it to harden and lengthen. All the feathers were starting to have a titillating affect on him. 

Mulder's chest rose and fell as his breathing increased, he moaned and tried to take his mind off what the feathers were doing to his body. His eyes fell on Damien who was unfastening his robe and allowing it to drop at his feet. The Prince had a massive erection. 

The arousal felt unnatural to Mulder. The incense and their chanting were affecting his senses. He knew that he shouldn't be this horny, that he shouldn't be having thoughts of wanton lust -- not for these old men. Even his anus ached as he watched the Prince's erection bob as the vampire moved behind him. 

Then he felt hand on his hips and a mushroom-shaped head against his opening. A single thrust impaled him on its eight-inch length. Mulder moaned as Damien wrapped one arm around his waist and licked at his neck. 

The Prince's arms wrapped more possessively around his body. Mulder enjoyed the hard length filling him. Then he felt the vampires fangs sink into his neck and the pressure from his blood being sucked out. 

Mulder relaxed into the embrace. He'd never felt anything like it. Every nerve ending in his body tingled with arousal. The cock filling his rectum throbbed and pulsed, as Damien feasted on his blood. 

As the last drops of life flowed out of him, Mulder felt the world shift and his mind became wide-open for the first time in his life. He suddenly understood what he was. The powers that had been buried deep inside him were released in a desperate attempt to keep him from dying. 

The shriek of pain from Prince Damien barely penetrated Mulder's mind as he stole the vampire's life essence. 

His body flared as an inner light blazed brightly as he sought out further nourishment. 

When Mulder became aware, again, he was standing in the center of an empty room. Well not completely empty, eight robes made up small piles inside and outside the pentagram. Inside each red robe was a mound of ash. It was all that remained of the seven elders. He glanced down at the pile of ash that was directly behind him. And bent to pick up the silver ring Damien had been wearing. 

He glanced back at the robes. "Red." For the first time in Mulder's life he could see the color red. He marveled as he kneeled and touched the fabric. He didn't have to ask what had happened to them as he stood and walked around the room. He now possessed all of the knowledge of the Tremere elders. He gained their knowledge when he stole their life force. He felt energized. Mulder knew that he wasn't a vampire, but he was even less human now than he had been before. Oh yes, he was now fully aware of his alien heritage. Everything was clear to him for the first time in his life. 

Mulder looked down at his body covered in the dry blood that had been painted on his flesh. It was beginning to itch. He walked out of the room and down a hallway to the bath. 

Dozens of Tremere fluttered around him like moths to a flame. They prostrated themselves at his feet when he passed. Mulder entered the bath and pulled a chain to turn on the overhead shower in the middle of the room. The cold water washed the blood from his flesh. Pink water swirled around his feet and down the drain. He watched it while he scrubbed his skin. He tried to ignore the buzzing inside his head. The buzzing that was the thoughts of all of the Tremere throughout the earth. 

Long minutes passed until he finally felt clean and turned off the shower. "Find me something to wear," Mulder ordered one of the hovering Tremere. 

She bowed and scurried out of the room. Her black robe flapped open, exposing her long shapely legs. 

Mulder dried himself with a towel offered by another Tremere. They looked at him with adoration, bafflement, and fear. What should he do with them? When he killed their elders, they became his responsibility. The Tremere clan was like a beehive where the elders had controlled every aspect of their lives -- even their thoughts and desires. 

"I guess that makes me the Queen bee now." Mulder chuckled bitterly. 

The female Tremere returned with a red robe and handed it to him. 

Mulder looked at the robe with distain before pulling it on. "You wouldn't happen to know where the clothes are I was wearing when I came here?" 

She nodded. 

He could hear her thoughts in his head and saw the room where his clothes had been placed. Mulder headed in that direction with the others following him like ducklings would follow their mother. He stopped once to look back at them and issued a single silent command. 'Stay.' 

They froze in their tracks while Mulder continued on to the room. He found his clothes and dressed. The room had no windows. Inside the armoire where his clothes had been were Prince Damien's possessions. He picked up the man's book on blood sorcery, sat on a wooden bench, and started reading it. It wasn't written in a language still used on earth, but Mulder knew the words intimately since when he had taken Damien's life force he also acquired his knowledge. 

He closed the book and stared into space. What he wanted most was to go back home to John, but he couldn't leave just yet. He couldn't leave the Tremere without any guidance, no telling what would become of them and the city of Vienna. He could feel the panic and uncertainty from the Tremere around the world and sent out a silent command for them to seal their havens to the outside world. Mulder concentrated and telepathically contacted the Tremere elder, Silvo Fabba, in Naples. The elder wasn't as powerful as the ancient Vienna elders whose lives he took, but at least he wasn't dependent upon guidance from Mulder like the remaining Tremere living inside the monastery. 

Mulder ordered Fabba to come to Vienna immediately. He would put the Naples elder in charge here so he could return to D.C. He would decide later what to do with this clan of vampires. 

* * *

Tampir Estate  
Wednesday, March 23, 1999  
1:00 a.m. 

Sirius smiled, his blue eyes alighted with pride when he heard the tale of his childe's exploits at the Wild Orchid last night. He brushed a lock of black hair off his forehead as he looked at his ghoul. "I'd like to meet this new Brujah, James. Call my childe and ask him to bring John Doggett over here tonight." 

"Yes, master," James said and headed out of the room. 

After James left, Vagon stepped through the French doors from outside. His bald head and large misshapen ears cast an eerie shadow on the opposite wall. "Something is going on with the Tremere." 

"And what is that?" 

"I don't know yet. They have sealed up their havens. There are rumors going around that something happened in Vienna." 

"Prince Damien is in Vienna," Sirius said. "Should I try to contact him?" 

"Yes. We need to know what's going on before the Sabbat stick their noses into our affairs. As you know, the Tremere are key to defending the Camerilla against them," Vagon said. 

Sirius sighed. "I know that, Vagon. We cannot count on the Brujah or the Gangrel clans, and the Malkavians are undependable. That leaves only our clans which could never hold off the Sabbat without the Tremere blood sorcery behind us." 

The Tremere stronghold in Vienna did not have telephones, so Sirius could not contact Damien directly. The Ventrue elder picked up his phone and dialed the Ventrue elder in Vienna. Hans Stier was eighth generation and had been a good friend of Sirius' for several centuries. 

'Stier,' the voice answered. 

"Hans, this is Sirius. Have you heard any rumors going around about the Tremere stronghold?" 

'What rumors?' 

"The Nosferatu have been hearing that there may be trouble there. I need you to get a message for me to Damien Rainer who's at the stronghold." 

'If there was trouble at the stronghold, Sirius, I would have heard about it. What is the message?' 

"I need him to call me at my estate." 

'Okay, I'll send a messenger to the stronghold to contact him.' 

Sirius hung up and looked at Vagon. "Hans Stier hasn't heard that anything is amiss." 

"Do you doubt my information?" 

"No. I wouldn't have sent Hans to contact Damien if I doubted you." 

Sirius poured a glass of cognac for himself then settled in a chair to wait for Damien's phone call. 

Vagon stood by the window looking outside. 

Thirty minutes later Skinner strolled into the room followed wearily by Doggett. 

"Sire, you wanted to see us?" 

Sirius smiled. "Yes, Walter. I heard about your defeating that Brujah, Simons, in a fight. He was a formidable opponent. And I wanted to meet Lager's childe, whom you taken under your wing." 

"Sire, this is Special Agent John Doggett. John, this is my sire, Sirius Tampir." 

Sirius shook his hand. "Agent Doggett, it is a pleasure to meet you. Would you care for a cognac?" 

"I didn't know vampires could drink." Doggett looked distrustfully at the slender dark-haired young man. 

"We can drink and eat, but we must regurgitate it later." Sirius looked at Skinner as he filled the glasses. "Where's that ghoul of yours? I could use a little of his blood to sweeten our drinks." 

"I left him at home." 

"Too bad," Sirius said as he handed them each a cognac. 

The phone rang and James answered it. "Just one moment, sir. Master, it's Hans Stier." 

Sirius took the receiver. "Hans, I was expecting Damien to call me." 

'Sirius, my messenger couldn't get anyone to open the gates at the stronghold. I even went there myself. I -- something is wrong. I could smell and hear them inside but they wouldn't open up.' 

"Hans, I'm going to have my private jet fly me there. I should arrive tomorrow night," Sirius said then hung up the phone. 

"I told you something was wrong," Vagon said as he moved away from the French doors. 

Doggett gasped. He hadn't noticed the Nosferatu until Vagon moved. The sight of the grotesque creature horrified him and he reached for his gun. 

Skinner placed his hand on Doggett's arm to still him. "Sire, what's wrong? Does this involve Prince Damien?" 

"The Tremere stronghold in Vienna has gone silent. They won't open their gates and their havens around the world have been sealed off to the outside," Sirius said. 

"Vienna? Isn't that where that bastard took Fox?" Doggett asked. 

"Aw, the pretty Agent Mulder," Vagon said. "Maybe Prince Damien bit off more than he could chew." 

Skinner tightened his grip on Doggett's arm. "Sire, John and I would like to go with you to Vienna." 

"I need you here, Walter. When I am out of D.C., you become the head of the Ventrue clan. However, Agent Doggett may accompany me." 

The prospect of finding Fox revitalized Doggett. "When do we leave?" 

"At sunset tomorrow. It will take that amount of time for them prepare the jet." 

* * *

Vienna  
Wednesday, March 23, 1999  
1:00 p.m. 

Mulder was nervous and agitated. He didn't like the responsibility that had been thrust upon him or the memories now filling his head that had belonged to the seven ancient vampires. The crime and brutality they had committed against humanity over the millenniums was truly evil. If he wanted, Mulder had the power to order all of the Tremere to step outside into the sunlight, and end the threat they posed to humans. But he wasn't a murderer. He couldn't kill unless in self-defense or to protect innocent lives. And he knew that not all Tremere had committed crimes like their elders had. Even Prince Damien had avoided killing humans. Maybe it was Damien's memories that stilled Mulder's hand. 

The Naples' elder had arrived just before sunrise. Mulder knew the vampire was afraid of him; he could see it in the Fabba's eyes. 

"You will take care of the stronghold," Mulder said. 

"Will you be returning?" 

"I'm not sure." Mulder walked to the main door. He opened it and stepped out into the sunshine. The warmth felt good upon his face after spending days inside. 

He was being flown back to the U.S. in Damien's jet. The flight crew was human and had no idea that their employer had been a vampire. 

The first thing he was going to do when he got back to D.C. was to rescue John from Lager. With that thought, he headed for the airport. 

* * *

New York City  
Wednesday, March 23, 1999  
4:00 p.m. 

The Tzimisce elder, Bazyli, ran his long bony hand over his latest work of art, feeling the quivering flesh beneath his fingertips. It was hard to tell this mass of flesh had once been a forty-year old lawyer. He planned to keep this one alive for decades to serve as an end table in the entryway of his domain. Bazyli set a vase of dark tulips on top of the mass between the wide spread brown eyes that looked up at him in horror and pain. 

A tall, dark-haired, classic beauty walked into his haven through the arched doorway and tossed her handbag on the unnatural table by the door. 

"Vera, what brings you here?" Bazyli asked. 

The Lasombra elder's red lips raised in a slow fang-filled grin. "The Tremere are in turmoil. Now, my dear Bazyli, is our chance to destroy the Camarilla once and for all." 

Bazyli returned the smile as thoughts of swimming in a river of Camarilla blood filled his head. 

* * *

End of Chapter 5 - Tremere  
Coming soon Chapter 6 -   
  

If you enjoyed this story, please send feedback to Jo B


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